TransFatty Lives is an artistic, well articulated, emotional, and surreal piece of art that Patrick O' Brien humbles himself to give to us. The name TransFatty comes from Patrick's undying love for donuts and is as well associated with his career as a popular NYC DJ. Patrick has a passion for filmmaking also, but when his diagnosis took his life for a quicker turn than he was prepared for, he turned the camera and production on himself. This documentary allows us to follow Patrick's journey from his first symptom mentioned, to his last muscular movement he makes before he makes the choice to live and depend on the Tobi for his main form of communication. I am incredibly intrigued by ALS, and do not regret the chance to watch Patrick's journey and to note symptoms, emotions, and his change of focus as ALS changed his world. These recordings will facilitate my empathy and knowledge on ALS and how it quickly will effect our clients.
Patrick's diagnosis is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, ALS, and he was 30 when he was diagnosed with it. During the documentary, it shows Patrick and how very quickly he loses control of his lower body limbs. They become to weak to even allow him to walk, climb stairs or shower. One of the moments in this documentary when I realized how difficult it would be to lose those daily functions, such as bathing, is when Patrick's dad was trying to help him lift each leg up into the tub, and Patrick could barely lift one leg up and into the tub without fatiguing. After that scene, everything happened so quickly to Patrick it was hard to keep up with.
Patrick met a lady along his ALS journey, whom he fell in love with after he had began using his electronic wheelchair. She loved him for his personality and his unique view on life. They dated for a while, and a fun fact is that although many of Patrick's muscles did not work during their time dating, his reproductive one did! His girlfriend ended up getting pregnant with his baby, and this became the reason of this documentary he says. Patrick says that he wants his child to know who he is before and after ALS. Patrick and his girlfriend ended up ending their relationship because it was impossible for her to take care of the baby (Sean, now 8 years old) and Patrick. Patrick chose to go to a home in Massachusetts for individuals with ALS to take the stress off of his family. Patrick was such a selfless guy, making that decision for his girlfriend and family, yet keeping himself alive solely in hopes to keep in contact with his son while building awareness and funding for ALS.
Due to this being a real life documentary, many symptoms of ALS were shown. It began with a skipping or shaking of his leg that would not stop. Next came constant tripping or falling with Patrick's walking. This caused balance issues as well. Not long after Patrick went and visited his doctor, did he begin having more and more issues climbing the stairs and bathing. Eventually, Patrick lost use of his lower limbs. He still had decent function in his upper body limbs, and that is how he began documenting and helping produce the movie. One of my favorite OT moments in this movie, is when Patrick knew that his loss of his hands was almost coming to an end. He decided to try and have a "funeral for his hands" which upset me, but I can see from an OT point of view how important it was for Patrick to constantly except the change and challenges ALS were appointing him. I do not think I would ever have the strength, courage, or humor that he exuded as he knew the fate of ALS. I do not think Patrick wants us to feel bad for him, I think he wants to start a riot and show others what it is in hopes for future funding and a cure.
In closing, I feel as if this documentary was a beneficial learning experience. This prompted me to take notes as the documentary progressed, and at the end I had the opportunity to compare his symptoms with the ones I had from class. They were accurate, but brought a sense of pain to watch them come along. Sometimes it seems so black and white when we learn of the neurological diagnoses in class, but the truth is, it is hard. People's lives are effected. Emotions are involved, "hand funeral" moments do happen, and the question we should ask ourselves at the end of this film is, how will I best enhance my client's with ALS's lives and what can I do to increase their quality of life for as long as that may be. 2 years or 10 years. I would recommend this movie either in class or outside of class!
References
Brien, P (Producer), & Brien, P (Director). (2015). TransFatty Lives [Medium]. USA: Handsome
Cargo.
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